Eight of McEntire’s band and crew members died in a plane crash after the “Fancy” singer’s concert in San Diego in March 1991
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NEED TO KNOW
- Reba McEntire is reflecting on the plane crash that killed eight of her band and crew members in March 1991
- She spoke about the tragedy in a new interview with Garden & Gun and how Vince Gill and Dolly Parton supported her
- “It was really hard for me to get back onstage,” said McEntire
Reba McEntireis looking back on how fellow country stars supported her in the wake ofa 1991 plane crash
that killed eight of the “Fancy” singer’s band and crew members
In a new interview with &Garden Gun, the Grammy-winning performer recalled the tragic plane crash, which occurred after her March 1991 concert in San Diego. McEntire, her stylist and her then-husband and manager Narvel Blackstock were set to take a different flight the next day.
“It was really hard for me to get back onstage,” said McEntire. “But Vince Gill called and said, ‘Buddy, I’ll be there for you.’ Dolly Parton said, ‘Here, take my band.'”
“It was such a gift to see how many people stepped forward to help, and to reassure, because so many of us had hearts that were broken,” continued the Happy’s Place star.
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McEntire marked the 33rd anniversary of the plane crash by paying tribute to the victims with an Instagram post in March 2024. “I guess the world ain’t gonna stop… for my broken heart,” she wrote, quoting her song “For My Broken Heart,” released on an album of the same name later that year.
In the post, she also featured a list of those who died: Chris Austin, Kirk Cappello, Joey Cigainero, Paula Kaye Evans, Jim Hammon, Terry Jackson, Tony Saputo and Michael Thomas.
“33 years today since Heaven gained some great angels,” she wrote in the caption. “Rest in peace, my friends.”
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McEntire opened up about learning of the band members’ deaths in a 2022 interview with PEOPLE. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue,” she said. “But it showed me how precious life is, and by the grace of God and my faith, I realized that they went on to a better place.”
The Reba actress added that while she “never blamed God” for their deaths, she has “questions when I get up there.”
“From that I learned that you need to take it one day at a time and be very grateful for the things that you have,” she noted. “Tell folks in your life how much you love and appreciate them.”
Eight months after the plane crash, McEntire released For My Broken Heart and dedicated it to the victims. The album became her best-selling of all time.
